St. George Garden Club

SGGC Jr Gardeners had their final meeting of the season!
Jr gardeners created terrariums featuring a "dry" or "wet" environment and learned how to pick the right soils and plants to help their mini ecosystem thrive!
Many Jr's were already looking forward to programs next year!

Congratulations Cailyn!
Every year St George Garden Club offers a $1000 Scholarship for post-secondary education in Horticulture, Agriculture, Forestry or Environmental Studies.
Cailyn is this years recipient. We wish her luck this year as she begins her studies in Ag!

Are you ready for the Paris Fair?
St. George Garden Club sponsors several categories in both the adult and youth floral sections.
There are so many ways to be involved in local fairs!

What are you doing this weekend? Our entry deadline is approaching quickly!

SGGC had another successful meeting of the Jr Gardeners this week.
All about pollinators! Jr Grdeners made puddling pools for bees and butterfly and had a chance to to talk to Amanda from Henderson Apiaries
Thanks to all who volunteered!

Pollinators come in all shapes and sizes, and they play a vital role in our ecosystems and food production. This , let's dive into some amazing facts about our pollinating friends:

🐝 Bees: There are over 20,000 species of bees worldwide, and they are the most effective pollinators. Honeybees communicate through a dance known as the "waggle dance" to share the location of flowers with their hive mates.
🦋 Butterflies: Monarch butterflies migrate up to 3,000 miles from North America to central Mexico each year. Their bright colors not only make them beautiful but also serve as a warning to predators about their toxicity.
🌹 Hummingbirds: These tiny birds can beat their wings up to 80 times per second and can fly backwards! They have a high metabolism and need to eat every 10-15 minutes to maintain their energy levels.
🦇 Bats: Some species of bats are important pollinators, especially in tropical and desert climates. They help pollinate over 300 species of fruit, including bananas, mangoes, and agave (used to make tequila!).
🐞 Beetles: Often overlooked, beetles are among the oldest pollinators. They are especially important for pollinating ancient plant species like magnolias and water lilies.

Engage with Us! Capture a photo of what pollination means to you for your chance to win a Bee Hotel, Hummingbird Feeder or Pollinator ID Book! We want to see beautiful pictures of your pollinator flowers, gardens and the pollinators themselves! Head over to Engagebrant.ca/CelebrateJune2024 to upload your photos for a chance to win.

The County of Brant is participating in this year’s Communities in Bloom competition and celebration, and we want YOU to join us!

Communities in Bloom is a volunteer-driven organization that strengthens communities through environmental sustainability, green space enhancements, and heritage conservation across municipal, residential, commercial, and institutional spaces. This year's theme celebrates our Indigenous communities with the vibrant colour ORANGE.

We encourage ALL residents and businesses to get involved by sprucing up your gardens and planting beautiful orange flowers. Let’s transform our county into a stunning sea of orange blooms!

Visit brant.ca/CommunitiesInBloom to learn more about how you can participate. Let’s come together and make our community bloom like never before!

Last night the SGGC had their first Jr Gardeners club of the year! Thanks to all the volunteers that helped.
Jr members drew their favourite plants and pollinators; learned about the parts of a plant and took home seeds to start their own pollinators gardens!

All are pollinators, some are better at it and with better attitudes.

County of Brant is participating in communities in bloom this year.
This year's colour is Orange!
For info on judging and how you can help, follow the link:

Communities in Bloom Communities in Bloom (website) is a Canadian non-profit organization committed to fostering civic pride, environmental responsibility and beautification through community involvement and an annual national program that challenges communities to enhance green spaces. 

If you see these on your fennel, dill or parsley plants, do not kill them. They are the caterpillars of the Black Swallowtail butterflies.

🥹🥹🥹

Plant some host plants

Still looking for veggie or herb plants?
Extras from the sale are available at 86 McLean School Rd
$1/pot or $5 / 6 pots.
Tomatoes, Peppers, Broccoli, Cabbage, Kale, Dill, Mint, Calendula, Horseradish, Lemonbalm and more...

St. George Garden Club Plant Sale
All Plants are now Half Price!!!!
We are at the arena until noon!

St. George Garden Club - Plant Sale.
Saturday, May 25th. at the arena.
Doors open at 9 am. No entry fee.
Annuals, Perennials, Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, House Plants, Bulbs & Roots, Trees & Shrubs, Vines, Native Plants, Books, Tools and so much more!
Sign up for the Youth Gardeners Program.
Got a gardening question? Ask an Expert - Len Cole, Master Gardener.

Cash or Debit sales.

Do forget to get your Garden Club Membership from the membership table.

https://raresites.org/
Rare charitable research reserve presented info to member last night about the work they do in the Grand River area.
Check out their website for trail maps, ECO camps and more.

rare Charitable Research Reserve – Conservation | Research | Education

You may have heard of planting tomatoes on their side. It may sound like a weird thing to do, but here's why it works so well:

Tomato stems are full of parenchyma cells. These non-descript cells are located just below the epidermal layer. One of the coolest things parenchyma cells do is turn into roots, known as adventitious roots

By burying the plant sideways or very deeply in your garden, you’re putting more of the stem underground from the start to enable lots of adventitious root growth. This means your tomato plant now has a much more complex root system, making it easier to take up the water and nutrients needed to make bushel after bushel of tomatoes.

So get to planting your tomatoes sideways! Happy Gardening!

📷 ruralsprout

Plant at least 1 new variety a year for our pollinators

Hosta have traditionally been selected as a foliage plant first, with flowers as an afterthought. But did you know that Hosta Flowers are attractive to many pollinators?

Some new Hosta varieties have been selected for unique, floriferous, or fragrant flowerscapes. A few examples to look for include ‘Silly String’, ‘Royal Standard’, ‘Royal Wedding’, ‘Time in a Bottle’, and ‘Wrinkle in Time’.

Find out more at https://ngb.org/year-of-the-hosta/ and celebrate the year of the hosta!